After the earthy tones of winter, we are all craving the colors of spring.   Pretty pastels, soft greens, yellows, purples and pinks, all the colors of nature when she’s decides to put on her spring fling.   Even though it’s not yet warm enough to sit out on the deck, we can always dream, and decorate with a few Easter egg touches until mother nature agrees to cooperate.   Never fear, this blog is mostly pretty pictures.   (There may be cake at the end.)

Paperwhites, started in January, can be an early reminder of spring and it is wonderful to come home to such a heavenly smell.   Hyacinths are great too.

 

I forgot to buy Paperwhites this year, so I made do with a new candle in one of my favorite scents, rose water.

Victoria magazine is one of my favorite reads.   I have a collection of old editions in the basement and like to browse through them for seasonal decorating ideas.   For those weary of winter and in search of an early dose of spring the new 2018 March/April edition is a feast of gorgeous color.   

I found this garden gate table decor at Winner’s a few years ago and thought it might make a nice centerpiece, with some daffodils in the middle.

 

Also found this cute little guy to put inside one of my indoor bird cages.

I saw my first robin yesterday, but he was camera shy and got away before I could point and shoot.  They will soon be getting plump and fat, and preparing their nests.   This is a well behaved bird, who chose her birthing bed wisely, a sturdy tree with lots of supporting branches.

This is a badly behaved bird who chose her nesting place just to annoy me.     Apparently morning doves mate for life, and these two lovebirds have insisted for years upon building their nest on my front light fixture, so I have just resigned myself to never ever getting new light fixtures because what would be the point.

They are very efficient creatures who can assemble a home in a day, and often the nest is built and the eggs laid before I even realize it, and then I don’t have the heart to do anything.   But last year I was ahead of the game and brushed the twigs off before they could get a head start.    After a few days of this build and toss tussle, they finally gave up and went elsewhere, but then I felt guilty.   I had destroyed their home, when they were just trying to feather their nest, the same as I do.   This year I am hoping we can co-exist somewhat peacefully, except they do tend to coo a lot, which is annoying so early in the morning.

The crocus usually pop up where ever ever they feel like it, sometimes in the middle of a bush, seldom where I planted them.  There must be a secret underground passage for wayward bulbs.  My elderly more sensible crocuses are still hiding under the lavender but these younger braver souls are blooming in front of the library. 

These pretty blue flowers are one of the first signs of spring, but spring has been very late this year so this is a picture from last year.   It’s not my yard but I wish I could get them to populate on my grass.

The annual trek to buy the windup Easter chicks…..they break after a few hours but what little one doesn’t love them.

My mother always had an Easter lily on the farm, and coming home after church for our family dinner of ham and scalloped potatoes is associated with the smell of the lily on the kitchen counter near the sink.  (Perhaps I remember it so well because of the two hours spent washing dishes by hand pre-dishwasher days!)

Traditionally, we would either have a cherry cheesecake for desert or coconut angel food cake or a pineapple upside down cake.   This year I made a pineapple upside down cake, using the recipe from her old Purity Flour cookbook.   Sprinkle brown sugar (I like lots), in the bottom of a well buttered cake pan, lay out the pineapple slices and pour the cake batter on top – voila, a fast and easy desert.

 

I nixed the cherries though because of the red dye, (we didn’t worry about such things back then), although they do make a festive touch.  You could try strawberries perhaps?    If you haven’t time for that, President’s Choice makes a perfectly acceptable frozen cake in individual portions.  (Note PC is a Canadian brand.)

Although we can’t bring our spring clothes out just yet, I have noticed the weather girl on my local tv station has switched from her winter scarfs to her spring ones.  If I had such a vast collection of colorful artfully tied scarves I’m sure I could learn to love inclement weather too.   I am sure there must be a stylist on set to drape all those scarves just so……the art of the scarf might be a French technique? She is predicting possible snow flurries for Easter tomorrow, so I hope the bunny bundles up.

Happy Easter!  May the Easter bunny bring lots of chocolat français.